


Alexithymia

by Daydream_Child



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Flower Crowns, Flower Language, Future karlnap, I suck at naming things, Language of Flowers, M/M, Mentioned karlnap, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, barista!sapnap, blogger!dream, miscommunications
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29159313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydream_Child/pseuds/Daydream_Child
Summary: Alexithymia (noun) - The inability to express or describe one’s feelings.Or the fanfic in which a (give or take a few) bunches of flowers can help two dense lovebirds out.(Floriography/Flower Language Flower shop AU)
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs/Sapnap
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20





	Alexithymia

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! A little nervous to be writing this but I have such Floriography and dnf brainrot that I decided, why not combine the two?
> 
> For those who don't know, Floriography (aka the language of flowers) is a form of vague communication through the meanings assigned to certain flowers in an assortment. Most people know it’s origins from the “Victorian” age, but different "dictionaries" of floriography have been found throughout different time periods and cultures. (This also means that some flowers have more than one meaning, and can often have opposite meanings. So if you want to use flowers to send a "secret" message to someone, it's best if both people are using the same flower dictionary. Otherwise... you might end up sending a message you didn't intend to.)
> 
> I’m going to try and leave all the flower meanings I use in each chapter at the end notes. Also please note that this is a slow burn. Also also, almost everyone lives in Florida (for plot convenience.)
> 
> As always, if George or Dream state discomfort at all I’ll respectfully discontinue and delete the work as needed.

Bright sun rays shone through a small flower shop in a small town in Florida, casting down on newly growing flower petals. A man with a slim yet fit stature walks through the front door, wearing a t-shirt and jeans with a cream-colored apron draped over him. Holding envelopes of bills and various other important notices, the man runs a swift hand through his dark brown hair and flips the door’s sign to say _open_ without looking. He carefully tosses the envelopes on the counter at the front of the shop. Grabbing an empty watering can that sits against the wall, he fills the plastic can up with water from the sink in the shop’s bathroom. Walking around to the potted plants, the brunet contently waters sprouting and budding flowers near the window, attempting to clear his mind. The man finishes up his morning routine of watering and moves to his weekly routine of trimming flower stems. He places each flower back in their respective vase all filled with new water. 

George sighs loudly to himself as he places the last flower in its vase and migrates back to the counter where the bills are. He attempts to ignore them by fixing the business cards on the counter that remained untouched by others. George leans over the counter and put his head down in his arms. He lifts his head only a little to see the clock and realizes it’s only been a few minutes since he opened shop. He then turns his head over to the window to see the people walking up and down the market street, doing who knows what and going who knows where. Just a bunch of people trying to live their daily lives while George lives his. 

George worked hard back at his hometown in London, England to be able to afford even an apartment here in America. He had a dream of being successful, having his own shop to share his ideas, and enjoy living in a new area. A little help from his parents and saving up from working two jobs helped him get a place to live. Once he moved, George only had just enough money to pay rent for a little while. He once again worked two and even three jobs at one point to get to where he was now. The brunet was able to save enough money for his shop and at the beginning, he had a few customers, but then they started decreasing. 

George looked behind him to his calendar and saw that restocks need to be ordered next week. He flipped the page of his calendar and saw “RENT DUE” in capital letters and blue marker the first week of the next month. He audibly groaned and set his head back on the counter.

Just as he did so, his phone rang in his apron pocket. Jolting out of his hunched position, George looked at his phone to see his mother’s contact information. He immediately answers. 

“Hello, Georgie!” His mother’s sweet voice rings through the phone. 

“Hey mum,” George answers quietly, walking around his shop to the roses. He had noticed that he forgot to trim them.

“You sound a bit down, is everything alright?”

George cuts off the bottoms of a few dying stems. “Yeah, it’s just that... not everything is working out like I had hoped here in America.” He carefully cuts off some rose leaves from some of the roses and holds them while he waits out the small silence on the other line.

“Well, it’s a big change, moving from the UK to the states. Business isn’t booming as you had hoped?” He can hear the empathetic smile in her voice, and he couldn’t help but have a soft smile himself.

He sighs out a small laugh and looks down. “No… if it stays this way I might just move back. I don’t even know anybody here, other than my landlord.” 

His mom gives out a hearty chuckle. “Well, have you gone out and _tried_ to meet people?” 

Silence, and then a quiet, “No.”

“George, I suggest you close up shop and go out to get something to drink. Or eat, even. Look around at the world. You’ll find people; they’ll usually come to you if they’re the right people. But you never know if you don’t try!” 

He thinks it over to himself, moving his hair out of his face and huffing. “Alright, I’ll try. Thank you.”

“Okay, I’ve got to go now and make dinner, take care of yourself.” George almost forgot about timezones, with it being only a little bit past noon where he was.

“I will, I love you! Bye.”

And with that, he gathered his courage to take off his apron, turn over the sign on the door, and walk out to explore the world he got himself into.

\---

Walking down the street, he didn’t realize just how many shops there actually were. Granted it was a small market street, but there were a few he’d never seen before. George breathed in the air, thankful that it was a breezy autumn afternoon. He’d been living in a small town off the side of Orlando for a little over a year now, and always hated the heat and humidity. It leaves him wondering why he chose the area to live in but later on decided to just try and adapt.

He stumbled upon a cafe a small ways away from his flower shop and decided to go inside. George walked up to the cash register and was met with a guy who seemed a few years younger than him. He had brown hair the same as his and a small stumble on his chin. 

“How can I help you?” The man asked nicely. 

“Uhhmmm…” George looked at the menu and looked back at the man with a tired smile. 

“Double-shot of espresso, extra cream, and extra sugar please.” The guy’s eyes widened a bit, and he quickly fell back into his nice employee facade. George had noticed a long time ago that the people here tended to do that a lot anytime he spoke. He assumed it was the accent since it was pretty noticeable.

“I wasn’t expecting an order like that this late in the day. Anyways, that’ll be $8.95.” George raised an eyebrow at the barista but gave him the money. Why was he questioning a stranger’s order? George ignored it for now.

“Anyways,” The man in front of him continued, and George blinked at him. “Where are you from? I noticed your, uh, accent.” 

George laughed nervously. Why was he still talking to him? “Um, London. I moved here about a year ago, though.” 

“That’s pretty cool! We only get locals here, so it’s nice to see someone else.” _Ah._ “So what’s up with all the coffee?”

George decided that this was his chance to find a friend like his mom had suggested. “Gotta stay energized for all my customers,” he joked. 

“Oh, I didn’t know you worked around here. Is it here on market street? I’m Nick, by the way, but my friends call me Sapnap.” George raised his eyebrow yet again but then smiled at the not-so-stranger.

“Yeah, it is actually. My own shop as well. That was also a joke, I don’t even get customers.” He laughed to himself, a bit tristfully. “I’m George.” Nick looked at him empathetically. 

“You said you’ve been here a year? How come I’ve never seen you around before?” He asked.

George scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. “I’ve never really gone out before now, to be honest.” The other man looked at him astonished.

“What? But there’s so much around here! You’ve never seen any of it?” George shook his head.

“I can’t drive, so I don't quite feel like walking around, you know?” 

Nick looked at his watch then back at George. 

“Listen, I get off my shift in about 15. How about I show you around? It’s basically a sin to not see this town and live here a whole year.” 

George laughed at him. This man was insane. To go around who knows where with a guy he had just met? No way, it was just too risky. 

But then he saw his smile, and it seemed so genuine. And maybe this was how he was supposed to ‘meet people’ as his mother had said.

Nick slid over his drink across the counter, still looking at him expectantly.

“Okay.”

“Yes!” The other man looked triumphant and completely crazy, and George started to doubt his decision but didn’t back out.

“Alright see you then… Nick.” George grinned softly at him.

The latter chuckled. “Call me Sapnap.”

\---

It’s not long before the barista George had just met comes around to his table telling him that his shift was over. They walked out of the cafe and started towards the rest of the market street talking about random things, getting to know each other.

“Yeah, I have a kitten actually, I got him a few weeks ago. What about you?” George said, in response to Sapnap’s question on if he had any pets.

Sapnap had an instant response ready. “Yep! I have two cats and a dog.” He put his hands in his pockets, smiling contently to himself.

George noticed these small things about Sapnap. He seemed to be in this constant state of relaxation and contentment. He had a slightly raspy chuckle anytime he laughed. Occasionally, Sapnap will let out a small giggle as well that was completely different from his other laugh. Though sometimes he would be a bit annoying in the way he bantered so easily as if they knew each other for years. Sapnap was so easily opening up to George who was very much an introvert and not used to these sorts of interactions. At times Sapnap will pull a face when he’s bored of something in the conversation. However, that’ll completely change when he points out a shop he likes to George, immediately switching to an excited demeanor. 

These small bits of character didn’t push aside the fact that George was still extremely nervous and thought that Nick was going to murder him or something. 

The ravenette let out a noise that was somewhere between a chuckle and a sigh. “Relax dude, I know what you probably heard about Florida, but I’m not crazy.”

George nearly jumped out of his skin before looking at him and managing to laugh out, “If that’s so true how are you literally reading my thoughts right now?”

Sapnap shook his head. “I can tell you’re nervous. Man, you really don’t get out much, huh?”

The older of the two smiled and looked down at the ground where they walked. “Is it really that obvious?”

“Nah, not really, I think you’re pretty cool.”

George’s smile grew a bit and he looked up. Immediately, he recognized where they were and stopped Sapnap before they walked any further. 

“Look, look, this is where I work!” He said excitedly but then faltered. Not so much a job if it doesn’t even pay.

Sapnap looked at the flowers that sat up against the window. “Whoa, a flower shop? That’s cool. Can I see the inside?” 

George nodded, slightly nervous. “Sure, only if you don’t rob me,” he half-joked. 

They walked in and George flipped the sign to say _open_ out of habit as Sapnap looked around the shop. “ _This_ is all yours?” Sapnap asked in awe. George nodded and quickly moved over to the counter and tucked the envelopes from earlier underneath it. 

“It’s so pretty here, I don’t understand how it’s not doing well as you said.” Sapnap looked over to George, who was fiddling with one of his business cards in between his fingers. Sapnap walked over to the counter and took one of the many to read it. 

“All in Bloom, Professional Floriography Arrangements?” He read aloud. Sapnap hadn’t meant for it to sound unsure, he was just curious about one of the words.

“I’ve never seen that in a flower shop before, what does Floriography mean?” He looked up at George genuinely curious. 

“Floriography is like… a language using flowers. Every flower has its own meaning and you can come to this store to find assortments that say exactly what you want to express, without actually using words.” George explained to him, a bit quiet and embarrassed. Maybe it was a dumb idea, after all, moving to America and opening a flower shop of all things expecting people to care. That’s what he thinks to himself quite often, always wondering why he’s still pursuing this career. 

“That sounds…” Sapnap started, smiling. “So amazing. I don’t get why no one’s come here!” He expressed, sounding slightly frustrated for George.

George was shocked, to say the least. “Y-yeah I’ve been studying it for years. It’s just really interesting to me how symbolic it is. It’s poetry to put it simply.” He had started to ramble, and Sapnap was hanging onto his every word. His friends back in England always shoved him off when he had tried to explain his idea for a floral shop. 

This had sparked an idea in George, and he held up a silent finger to Sapnap, politely asking him to wait while he went to the back to grab something.

He came back to the counter with a freshly trimmed periwinkle and handed it to Sapnap confidently. 

“Here, it’s basically a symbol of our new friendship.” George’s smile faltered a bit to something softer. “If you’ll take it that is.”

Sapnap smiled back and nodded, taking the blueish flower from his hand and twirling it between his fingers in quiet thought.

“You know, my roomie slash best friend would love this place. You see, he’s a blogger for a website he created himself called “Things I Have In Mind”.” Sapnap chuckled to himself. “It’s a stupid name he created but it’s still pretty popular around town. Basically, he just writes about whatever he’s thinking, and people go nuts over it. You get him to write about this place, and people are hooked.” 

Sapnap looked up from the periwinkle to look at George. “How about I bring him in here tomorrow and see where that takes us? If you get him to love you and your shop, there’s no way you won’t get a few more customers.”

George looked at him and shifted between his feet. “I don’t know… shouldn’t I try and fix my business myself? Isn’t that how owning a business works?” 

“George, George, George,” Sapnap looked behind his friend at the calendar on the wall. “When do you have to order stocks again?” 

The older man looked at him funny. “Next week?”

Sapnap clicked his tongue. “And how many customers do you get, _on average_?” 

George rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, like two every other day.” He laughed nervously. 

The latter carefully set his flower down in front of him, seemingly getting more serious, but his expression just stays soft. “Don’t let down this opportunity, dude. Come on, at least just meet him. I promise he doesn’t bite. Usually.”

George rolled his eyes again but his smile stayed on his face. “Fine. See you tomorrow then?”

Sapnap was strangely excited. But George supposed he was just a strange man. “Alrighty, then Gogy! Can I call you Gogy? That’s your new nickname. See you tomorrow! Thank you for the flower!” And with that, he was out the door.

  
  


George sighed and brushed a nervous hand through his brown hair. _What a day._ He thought to himself, smiling for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. In a few hours, he had made a new friend and could potentially make another soon. He was glad his mom called him.

_What an insanely great day._

**Author's Note:**

> Meanings of the flowers in this chapter!!!  
> —  
> Not too important but rose leafs during the call with George’s mom: “You may hope”
> 
> Periwinkle: blossoming friendship 
> 
> —
> 
> There’s not many but there will be as the story goes on! I hope to update this at least once a week, if not, then every other week. This is my most passionate project yet and I’m excited to share it with you all. Thanks for reading :•]


End file.
